Does it get any better?

I have been here reading the B9 forum religiously since January. I always wanted to drive an A4, since the B5 model when I was graduating high school in 2002. Well, here I am at 33 and I am finally driving my dream car. The B9 came out and I couldn’t wait any longer! I started off very conservative and thought that a Premium with Ultra would do just fine after my Acura TSX. The more I read and the more I learned, I knew I had to do this purchase right. In August I ordered a 2018 A4 Prestige from the dealership here in Dallas. I took delivery on November 7th. My build is as follows: moonlight blue with nougat brown seats and high-gloss walnut inlays, sport package, ventilated front seats, tinted windows, all-season mats and Audi beam. It was stellar year for us, so this was a cash deal. The dealer gave me 5% off the build plus $1,500.00 for being an Acura owner; I think this was a fair deal. It feels so nice driving this beast of a car with no payment.

My favorite things so far:

· Acceleration – Oh lordy I cannot wait for break-in period to end!
· Traffic Jam Assist – works better than I thought it would, it’s amazing and makes me enjoy Dallas traffic on Central Expressway
· Heat in the thigh extension – Small item but it gets nice and hot on the thigh extension, great touch
· Google Earth in VC and the head-up display navigation prompts – am I a pilot? So good!
· Audi ergonomics and each button’s feel and click – heaven
· Silence – this car is so quiet
· B&O System – the best sound I’ve had in any car (I have 3D turned way down)
· Lights – DRLs are so mean looking and I love the side light that pops on during turns. Ambient lighting plus package makes the cabin real special. Currently on purple line lights with blue everywhere else
· Driving position is great. I am 6’2”/168 lbs and people can still sit behind me

My minor, stupid grips that are no big deal:

· Active lane assist can be jerky and I wish it would last longer before beeping at me. I’m not trying to multi-task, I just love watching the car drive itself
· 8 Dedicated radio presets – I was expecting these buttons to be shortcuts for destinations, contacts, albums, songs and this was a big disappointment to have eight useless buttons
· Surround-view camera bug – Having to manually turn this on when the bug decides to act up is so annoying for a main feature touted so much on prestige
· MMI Connect app stinks
· Saw a video of a guy in Poland and his B9 self-parks. How did we miss this in NA?
· Center screen looks fine to me as is. But the showmanship of the retracting screen in my neighbor’s A7 sure is nice
· When does the moment pass when I stop cleaning my mats and every last smudge each night? =)

I have been here reading the B9 forum religiously since January. I always wanted to drive an A4, since the B5 model when I was graduating high school in 2002. Well, here I am at 33 and I am finally driving my dream car. The B9 came out and I couldn’t wait any longer! I started off very conservative and thought that a Premium with Ultra would do just fine after my Acura TSX. The more I read and the more I learned, I knew I had to do this purchase right. In August I ordered a 2018 A4 Prestige from the dealership here in Dallas. I took delivery on November 7th. My build is as follows: moonlight blue with nougat brown seats and high-gloss walnut inlays, sport package, ventilated front seats, tinted windows, all-season mats and Audi beam. It was stellar year for us, so this was a cash deal. The dealer gave me 5% off the build plus $1,500.00 for being an Acura owner; I think this was a fair deal. It feels so nice driving this beast of a car with no payment.

My favorite things so far:

· Acceleration – Oh lordy I cannot wait for break-in period to end!
· Traffic Jam Assist – works better than I thought it would, it’s amazing and makes me enjoy Dallas traffic on Central Expressway
· Heat in the thigh extension – Small item but it gets nice and hot on the thigh extension, great touch
· Google Earth in VC and the head-up display navigation prompts – am I a pilot? So good!
· Audi ergonomics and each button’s feel and click – heaven
· Silence – this car is so quiet
· B&O System – the best sound I’ve had in any car (I have 3D turned way down)
· Lights – DRLs are so mean looking and I love the side light that pops on during turns. Ambient lighting plus package makes the cabin real special. Currently on purple line lights with blue everywhere else
· Driving position is great. I am 6’2”/168 lbs and people can still sit behind me

My minor, stupid grips that are no big deal:

· Active lane assist can be jerky and I wish it would last longer before beeping at me. I’m not trying to multi-task, I just love watching the car drive itself
· 8 Dedicated radio presets – I was expecting these buttons to be shortcuts for destinations, contacts, albums, songs and this was a big disappointment to have eight useless buttons
· Surround-view camera bug – Having to manually turn this on when the bug decides to act up is so annoying for a main feature touted so much on prestige
· MMI Connect app stinks
· Saw a video of a guy in Poland and his B9 self-parks. How did we miss this in NA?
· Center screen looks fine to me as is. But the showmanship of the retracting screen in my neighbor’s A7 sure is nice
· When does the moment pass when I stop cleaning my mats and every last smudge each night? =)

No time for a good photo shoot yet, but I'll update update soon.

Cheers,

Daniel

Oh buddy, I am right there with you with this A4! I'm coming from a Honda Civic, and I picked up by '17 Premium Plus in June. The only regrets are not going for the sport suspension and cold weather package, but I'm in love with everything else about it. I'm also in my early thirties, and managed to score a low monthly payment. Congrats on not having one--that must *definitely* feel nice!

A few notes on your gripes. I'm both 100% new to Audi and the A4, so a bit of this might come from the context of my own learning curve. It took me a really long time to fiddle the seats into a comfortable position (that's definitely my n00bness talking), and I've noticed that the right seating position in this car--even without the sport seats--can make you feel more connected. I have about 4k miles on the clock, and my break-in period has certainly ended. Depending on your sensitivities, you might notice the car feels a bit more "warmed up" after its broken in (like the car needed to stretch before exercising). The only thing that doesn't go away is the dual clutch hesitation, but you can alleviate that in "S" or Dynamic mode--whichever you prefer.

I wasn't sure what I thought about the static screen either, but it grew on me. Audiworld users have alerted me these can be costly to fix if they break down the line. As for the cleaning... I've had to limit myself to a carwash every two weeks. This is a car you feel inclined to take care of, so don't be surprised if you're always a stickler (I was the same way with my Civic, so that might just be me).

Congrats on the new car. Sounds like a beauty. I just crossed over the 1,000 mile mark on my 2017 p+ (tech package, sport package and cold weather package) and can't wait to take it out for a good romp over the weekend. Enjoy your well deserved Prestige!